Detached
by Luiniathwen
Summary: Vincent's resurrection of Aerith brings old grudges and past enemies to the surface. [ Updated twice! ]
1. risen

Disclaimer: Crap, I forgot this.. okay. I don't own Aerith, Vincent, Cloud, or any of the lovely FFVII characters, though sometimes I do wish I owned Sephy n.n They belong to Squaresoft, Square Co. Ltd., PlayStation and other fun people.. so.. don't hurt me ^^;  
  
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The Forgotten City had lain dormant so many years until they had come, and then she had died there, shattering the peaceful calm that had settled over the quiescent city. The City had slept once more after they'd left, renewed in their purpose with vengeance burning in their souls. But one.. he had not forgotten her, and he wanted her back. The lake lay still, white trees keeping watch over the silent waters, never rippling, always concealing that which hid in its depths.  
He hadn't asked anyone else; he knew they wouldn't understand. Not him. So he'd borrowed Cid's first plane, the Tiny Bronco, which Cid himself had eventually gotten around to fixing, after marrying Shera. And so he'd flown it alone, back to the City of the Ancients, back to where they'd set her to rest.. set Aerith to rest.  
The engine guttered out as he cut it, propellers dying down; silence settled over the sleeping waters once more. Kicking the stairs out, he walked calmly down them, crossing the white sands at the bank to the edge of the lake. A small frown curved at the corners of his mouth, and he kicked off his boots, shedding his cloak simultaneously. He had waited so long for this.. nearly two years.  
"Here goes nothing," he muttered under his breath, stretching for a moment to work out the kinks from sitting in the tiny cockpit of the Bronco so long. Keeping long-lashed eyes open, he dove into the otherwise still waters of the lake, swimming purposefully downwards, down to the bottom, where he knew she rested. A small, tender smile replaced his frown as he approached, and he soon was close enough to take her lifeless form into his arms. Pushing off the bottom of the lake, he propelled himself back to the surface, shaking his soaked hair out of mysterious eyes once he'd broken the still waters. Trudging back through the shallows, he gently laid Aerith on the sand and dropped to his knees beside her.  
His smile remained as he began his work in trying to bring her back to him. Lifestream swirled around his kneeling form, but he paid it no mind, clearly not thinking about anything but his task at hand.. he never questioned why his methods would work now, and why no one had tried it before. She was helping him. Holding out his right hand over her, he cast Cure3 on the wound created by Sephiroth and his Masamune. Upon seeing it close up, something lightened in the man's features; he brightened fractionally. He swiftly cast Life2 on her and immediately summoned Phoenix to revive the alabaster woman. Dark eyes closed in prayer during his summoning.  
Aerith was dead. Everyone knew that.. in death, even she knew it. But now, now she stirred. It was a faint movement, to be sure, but she was supposed to be dead; what else could he ask of her? The peaceful if blank expression she wore in death faded as a slight knot knit in her delicate brows. She shifted, caught in the throes of her death, wanting so badly to respond to that alluring call of life, that bright, burning fire she could feel but not quite grasp. She arched all of a sudden off the ground, gasping for breath; it was an awful feeling, to breathe for the first time in two years. The pain hit her like a sledgehammer to the chest, and she fought to regulate her breathing. As her sudden start slowed, she relaxed back to the sands, finding it easier to inhale when she laid flat, stretched out. Green eyes, oh those deep green eyes, she opened them slightly, wincing even as the slight, filtering light hurt her retinas. Everything hurt. A frown creased her brow once more and she started to blink rapidly, as if to clear her eyes; but it was more than that. She wanted to know who it was that leaned over her. The man's figure was blurry, and her head hurt abominably.  
He dared not look; he had felt her move, and he had heard her breathe. Opening one eye first, as if that would make it all better if she wasn't alive, he blinked once at seeing her fight to clear her own vision. He gasped softly, so she wouldn't hear, and broke into a smile; something so uncommon on his stoic features!  
"Hi, Aerith. Welcome back."  
She knew his voice. She knew she knew his voice. As painful as those first few breaths had been, it hurt tenfold to try and sit up. Aerith tried it anyway. She propped herself up slightly, and stared at him with rapidly clearing emerald eyes, peering out from behind auburn bangs plastered to her alabaster features.  
"Vincent?"  
  
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Fin: Risen.  
  
A/N: Um, yeah, this is my first posted fic ^^;; Everything else I've written is sort of OOC and AU, not to mention they contain massive crossovers.. so be gentle, please! Flames, constructive criticism, adoration, I'll, y'know, accept it all. anyway. that's it. Laters. 


	2. confessions or a lack thereof

Disclaimer: I own FFVII! Really I do! @.@ Okay, maybe not. But I swear I own Sephiroth now.. n.n FFVII is actually property of Square, Squaresoft, PlayStation, and all those beautiful people who worked on th' game.. :D  
  
Wow, reviews.. reviews make me so happy.. xD I feel like I have fans.. except not really. Anyway, thanks are in order, for Seto-Kaiba's-fan, and The Demonic Angel of Yaoi (I like your username, btw.. =x)  
  
Kait and Meg, you guys know how I feel.. xD Angel darling, you're going to beta for me, I swear.. To catch my stupid mistakes.. n.n  
  
And Alysia-Chan, wow, thank you. That really makes me want to write more. For you and the Demonic Angel, I'ma put spaces between the paragraphs in this chapter, I swear.  
  
Love to Ryan, my muse and inspiration.. and constant help, since it's his SL to begin with, I just write lots.  
  
Anyway, chapter twooo ^_^  
  
PS - if you tried to read this earlier, and the whole chapter was missing.. uh.. sorry about that. O.o I dunno why that happened.  
  
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"You're.. you're all wet." The words sounded dumb to even her, but they'd come tumbling from her lips anyway. Aerith stared at the soaked, dark- haired man in front of her in utter wonder.  
  
"I.. I swam down to get you." Vincent wasn't usually one to stammer, but Aerith had had that effect on all of them, before she'd been murdered. He knew the sort of pain she must have been experiencing, though, and frowned disapprovingly at her movement. "Aerith, don't move yet. Your body should be given time to adjust before you try anything."  
  
She knew he was right, and with a soft sigh, she let herself fall back to the pristine sands. A small smile graced her features weakly, but she found breathing much easier when she lay back, and so she didn't protest much. Emerald eyes closed briefly and she raised one slender hand, brushing her soaked locks out of startling alabaster features. Her skin was so pale.. she resembled him almost.  
  
"Vincent.. why am I here? Alive, I mean?" She didn't reckon on how painful the subject would be for him, but well, Aerith had always been a bit naïve.  
  
Vincent lowered himself to sit beside her, debating with himself fully for a minute before replying. "I decided.. well, I mean, everyone decided.. that we should try to bring you back." He cursed mentally at himself for the initial slip up, wincing at the demons that raged there.. laughing at him. They were always laughing.  
  
Aerith, though, hadn't noticed. She remained quiet for a moment, staring up at the sky as if looking for the answers there. None came, so she took it upon herself to comprehend what he'd told her.. alive. It culminated in her life. /That/ she could understand with ease. As her thoughts drifted, Vincent became increasingly worried, until she jerked upright with a start, staring at him wide-eyed.  
  
"The others! Cloud, Tifa.. is everyone all right? Oh, Vincent, what of Sephiroth? Is he..?" She trailed off, staring at him, the expression in her eyes such a blatant plea for an explanation that it hurt for him to meet her gaze.  
  
"Everyone is fine, Aerith. Cloud defeated Sephiroth; he saved the world from Meteor. It's been some two years since then.. we've all moved on." Mostly, he added silently to himself, before continuing, "ShinRa.. is gone as far as we know. Everyone's gone their separate ways."  
  
"Two years.." Aerith's voice rose at barely above a whisper, and she finally turned that burning, beautiful gaze away from his. Her eyes grew cloudy as they looked out over the misted blue waters of the lake, troubles brewing there like tea. She battled with herself, inner turmoil taking precedent over her conversation with Vincent. He waited patiently enough; the gods knew he had enough inner demons himself to send anyone else screaming into the night. "I've been gone so long," Aerith added suddenly, never looking away from some distant spot on the horizon.  
  
Vincent started at hearing her speak into the hazy silence between them. He hesitated a moment before continuing with his explanation. "Since then, not much has happened. Everyone went their separate ways. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret, they went back to Nibelheim.. reopened the Seventh Heaven there, where the Inn used to be. Cid married Shara, I heard they're expecting. Red went home, Yuffie.. I don't know what happened to her. I suppose she went back to Wutai. Reeve went to work at the Golden Saucer, and I.." He smiled crookedly before finishing, "I went back to my nightmares."  
  
A soft sigh rose from unused vocals and she turned back, staring at him a moment before her forlorn expression faded into something softer, as though something inside her had yielded. Holding out one slender hand, she rested light fingertips against the ivory skin of his cheek, smiling slightly, albeit just as crookedly as he had. "I am sorry, Vincent.. but regardless, I have you alone to thank for my life. Tell me what I can do to ease the pain in yours."  
  
Vincent shook his head violently, jerking back from her touch. He couldn't bear that; it wasn't that he didn't appreciate her kindness, he just couldn't tell her how he felt. His tone grew gruff as he refused her help. "Aerith, no. I'm not here to burden you with my sorrows, just after you've been reborn into this life. It was the group's idea to bring you back." He hated lying to her; it gnawed away at his heart and made his head pound abominably. But he couldn't tell her.  
  
"Vincent." She smiled at him, gods, how he'd missed that smile! She didn't seem the least bit perturbed that he'd pulled away so violently; she knew he'd always been averse to that. Contact. She dropped her hand back instead, still staring at him with eyes softened by compassion. "Vincent, if it was everyone's decision, why are you the only one here?"  
  
"I.."He had to suppress the rising panic he could feel coming up to choke him. "Aerith, you know me. I'm a loner. I wanted to do this by myself."  
  
She stared unblinking at him. He found it extremely unnerving coming from her; those eyes, they could read a person's soul. He loved her for it, but he couldn't expose his good, if twisted, heart to her. She persisted, though, "But you were a loner back then, and you still joined us. Why didn't they come, if they agreed to do this?"  
  
She couldn't know how much her questioning was hurting him. He frowned, lines coming to crease his brow, and he turned his eyes away from her. His voice went slightly cold to mask the sadness there as he replied, "I came to resurrect you of my own accord, Aerith."  
  
Again, the extended hand.. resting her light fingers on his far cheek once more, she exerted the slight iron will that could sometimes be glimpsed in distant jade eyes, though now she used it to gently turn his face back to meet her own gaze. Apologetic tones rose from her soft vocals. "I'm sorry, Vincent. I don't mean to pry, I just want to help.. your miseries won't be a burden upon me, I promise you."  
  
He looked down immediately instead of meeting her gaze, his voice quiet as he spoke, "You're not prying. I... I have my reasons for coming here and bringing you back to life.. I've had more nightmares since the day I witnessed you die."  
  
Shifting nearer to him so she didn't have to reach across the distance, she moved her hand slightly, two digits beneath his chin to tilt his gaze up to her own in another attempt to get him to look at her. With her free hand, she brushed auburn locks patiently out of her features, studying him closely with her now clear vision. "I am grieved to hear I was the source of your pain.. will having brought me back from that death yourself aid in alleviating your nightmares?"  
  
Crimson eyes finally met emerald orbs, and Vincent lost himself for a moment. Startled to find himself drifting, he steeled himself, and a hint of unearthly coldness entered his gaze. "I don't know, Aerith. I believe so."  
  
Startled slightly herself, though determined not to show it, by the iciness she took for indifference, she gazed back at him nonetheless, dropping her hand away for it had accomplished what she'd wanted. "I hope so. I do not want to live a useless life for having come back from the dead, unable to help those I cared.. care for." She frowned faintly, her expression slightly confused, as if she did not know how to refer to herself in the time before her death. He wanted to laugh at that, if he could remember how. Only she would worry about something like that. Instead he lowered his eyes again, mumbling, "You could never fail at that, Aerith. You'll never be useless." He smiled then, hoping she knew just how sincere his words were, but the smile was fragile, broken. He hadn't had anything to really smile about in years.  
  
Her expression fell at the crooked smile he wore, delicate brows knit unhappily in a frown, marring her features as she spoke in soft, hurt tones, despite a masquerade saying otherwise. "I don't understand, then, why you won't tell me the reasoning for your nightmares, nor why you won't let me help you."  
  
"My nightmares have persisted for over three decades. It's all in my past."  
  
She shivered suddenly and tore her eyes away from him, lifting her hands instead and chafing at her upper arms to warm herself. It had taken her a long time to notice how cold it was, though the low temperature was probably magnified by how long she'd spent in that water.  
  
"Very well, Vincent. If you insist."  
  
He noticed she was shivering, and that hurt him for some reason. He got swiftly to his feet and rescued his cloak from where he'd tossed it, grabbing his boots and bandanna on the way. Returning to her side, he wrapped the cloak around her shoulders, blinking as he did. He wondered how much she knew about his feelings for her. She wasn't one to concede a defeat so easily like that. He didn't want her to know, because he knew how she felt about Cloud. His heart couldn't take being shattered again. He watched as a grateful smile lit her features and she pulled the cape close about her lithe form, breathing in deeply as much to experience that ability again as to take in his singular scent. Blinking slowly, she tilted her head slightly, setting her bangs flicking back into her eyes, regarding him from behind auburn tresses. "Everyone else, do they have any idea that you came here, or was it solely your idea to save me?"  
  
"You can ask them yourself. Let's go to Nibelheim, Aerith."  
  
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A/N: Whee! Wow. That was long. For me, anyway.  
  
Um, just so you all know, this WILL be AerithxVincent. I love the thought of them as a pair. I read a really good theory on their relationship - that she could help him learn to love again, and that he could help her get in touch with her more serious side. So don't worry if stuff happens with Cloud @.@  
  
Only.. don't expect updates like, every day. It's still vacation, and I have lots of free time. Mid-terms are soon, so I'll probably be a lot slower then. But for now.. =x  
  
Again, love to Ryan, since this is his SL, and our rp.. baha, there, I said it xD  
  
Anyway, review if you liked it!  
  
Review even if you didn't.  
  
Though I don't really see that one happening =P  
  
No, just kidding. Don't hate me. I'm not really conceited. I love reading your opinions, that's all.  
  
333 -- Luinia 


	3. coast of the sun

Disclaimer! I don't own FFVII.. meh god. If I did own FFVII, I'd be like, the single coolest person in the world. But I don't. Bloody Square, Squaresoft, and PlayStation.. they do own FFVII.  
  
Anyway! o.o Thanks for the reviews, you guys! I really appreciate them, and the ones you're going to write for this chapter =P  
  
Kaitlin, of course, I love you, but don't question me. I am the author, after all.  
  
Ryan: Sure you are ;  
  
What was that?! -= threatens with stolen Masamune. =-  
  
Sephy: Uhh..  
  
Ryan: O.O -= hides in box with Sephy. =- Continue, continue..  
  
Ahem. Yes. I said "gods" because I imagine more than one in FFVII-land. That's why :D  
  
Seto-Kaiba's-Fan, thanks! I'm glad you're sticking with me :D  
  
Jen, course you'll have to share 'cause.. he's Vincent and we love him. Thanks for your review n.n  
  
Ah-Choo, as far as I know, nothing horrible happens to Cloud @.@ That can be remedied, though, according to Seph.  
  
AngieX @.@ Refer to my summary of VII, because you are very confused =P Vincent's not like.. macho. He's just distant and cold. Poor baby. =(  
  
The Demonic Angel of Yaoi.. -= huggles back! =- Merci, my first hug ^^ I'm glad you're so excited about this n.n And I have a tendency to state the obvious, you'll find.. xD  
  
GhostCalibur, I'm glad you like it, given what you said.. and don't worry, stuff with Cloud happens soon.. I promise :D  
  
Katerz.. what can I say. You're an inspiration too, I lovess you, precious, you and your sarcasm. I'm sure Cloud took time away from stylin' to make sure Aerith landed in a comfy position. -= becomes aware of the sound of crickets. =- Anyway.. ;  
  
Now, what everyone who just suffered through my A/N has been waiting for! -= unveils chapter three! =- Tada!  
  
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"No!" The monosyllable became her immediate response, and Aerith blushed faintly when she noticed the strange expression Vincent wore as he watched her. Hastily trying to amend the rashness of her response, Aerith continued, "I mean, can't we go somewhere else first? I don't want to show up in Nibelheim, soaked, disheveled and exhausted."  
  
Vincent sighed heavily. She was, after all was said and done, a girl, one who would soon be going to see her loved one, so long separated by death. Of course she wanted to look nice. Reluctantly, Vincent acceded, "I suppose we could stop off in Costa Del Sol first. Just for a little while."  
  
"Thank you!" Vincent suddenly found himself the unwilling recipient of one of Aerith's overjoyed embraces; she'd leaned forward and impulsively thrown her arms around him. Vincent froze; if he pulled away as he had before, she would undoubtedly topple forward. So he sat stoically enduring this newest torment upon his soul until she released him, an oddly relieved expression on her face. "You're a lifesaver, Vincent.. in more ways than one!"  
  
He smiled halfheartedly; she seemed to make him do that a lot recently. Well, recently.. she'd only been alive for the past hour or so. He sighed at the thought and stood suddenly. Holding out his hand, he pulled Aerith to her feet. Smiling still, she thrust his cape back into his arms before she loosed the bow holding her hair up. Auburn tresses, darkened by water, fell in a thick, curly wave down past her shoulders. She hadn't wanted to get his cloak wet. Vincent adamantly refused, though, and set it back around her bare shoulders.  
  
"Don't want you to.. to catch a cold or something."  
  
Acquiescing to his wishes, she started towards the Tiny Bronco, just a step behind him. Vincent impatiently kicked the stairs out again. However, he stepped aside and promptly offered Aerith a hand up into the miniature plane. Slender digits took his and she ascended the steps quite gracefully for a woman still getting reaccustomed to walking and other motor-related tasks.  
  
The interior of the Tiny Bronco was, well, tiny. Aerith could vividly recall when they'd left Rocket Town with Cid and the little plane, and the adventures that had followed when ShinRa gunmen shot them down into the sea. She startled easily, however, this reincarnated woman, and when Vincent turned the engine over, propellers starting with a whir, she had to forcefully remind herself that she was not afraid of heights, let alone planes. Given the minuscule nature of the cockpit, she stood near the back of the small area, staring out the window as the City of the Ancients disappeared below. She sighed. It wasn't as though she would miss the place; she'd been dead in its lake for two years. Cetra blood was more at ease within the confines and limits of the city, and the Temple.  
  
The scenery of the Western continent began blurring together as one massive grey, brown, and green haze, dispersed through with random shots of blue and white. Aerith sighed wistfully once more; it was really quite beautiful when traversed on foot. She'd only been to half of the towns, and the very southern edge of the northern continent, but what she'd seen had been quite stunning. Costa del Sol was on the eastern edge of the continent, across the ocean from Junon Harbor.  
  
As a harbor itself, there was both a landing area with runway for planes, and a complex system of docks and ports. The Tiny Bronco fit neatly onto one of the smaller platforms for planes, and again, he extended his hand to assist Aerith down the short steps, well aware of her momentary disability.  
  
Costa del Sol is the only real tropical spot on either continent. As soon as they stepped onto the docks, the heat stunned them into breathlessness. Aerith laughed, an overjoyed sound, and tightened her hold on Vincent's hand. Faint colour rose to stain his alabaster features, which would have made her laugh more if she hadn't been so intent on absorbing every bit of Costa del Sol. She veritably dragged Vincent down the docks, and he was hard pressed to keep up with her exuberant pace. The superfluous heat dried her still-damp locks within minutes, but it kept Vincent cringing.  
  
As towns go, the Coast of the Sun isn't overly large. The beach, with its ivory sands and clear, aquamarine water, is the real attraction that lures tourists to its complementary resort. A bar, a weaponry shop, an items shop, all the standards in a basic town. An inn, larger than normal, stood just above the main entrance to the beach, and various vendors set up tents within the resort limits to sell items and souvenirs. Small children, harassed mothers, beach blondes and surfer boys populated the cobblestone streets of the city. It was, evidently, the big boom of the season, and it seemed that Costa del Sol was the place to be.  
  
Aerith was fascinated with it all. Sparkling emerald eyes took in all the sights even as her companion tried to melt into nonexistent shadows. Crowds made Vincent uncomfortable. People in general made Vincent uncomfortable. Aerith's grip on his hand made Vincent /really/ uncomfortable. As discreetly as he could, he led her to the western edge of the tropical hotspot. At the top of a set of bleached stone stairs, opposite the bridge leading to the docks, was the former President Shinra's beach house. When he had been murdered by Sephiroth near the beginning of their journey, Rufus had become president of Shinra, Inc. He, however, had been far more interested in hunting down the last Cetra, and Sephiroth, to care about his various condos. And so, the caretaker had sold the condo to a young, blond, spiky-headed man who had been there previously; the elderly man had assumed him a serious surfer, and hadn't pressed the matter.  
  
Vincent planned on using Cloud's recently acquired home to his advantage. He creaked the door open, and Aerith slipped past him into the cool interior, finally releasing Vincent's hand, much to his relief. She wandered into the foyer, memories flooding back to her. Vincent went to stand at her side before he spoke quietly.  
  
"There's a bedroom on the left, Aerith, you can sleep there. I'll stay on the couch or something. Just call me if you need anything, all right?"  
  
She nodded in response, bypassing the small dining table and going quietly into the room he had indicated. Upon closing the door, she turned to inspect her surroundings. The bedroom had changed only slightly since the time they found the caretaker in that room. The double beds were gone, replaced by a single king-sized canopied one. Not much else had changed; the lighting was still dim, the vanity still have a lovely mirror resting atop it, and a small, backless chair provided seating in front of the little table. A dresser was unceremoniously shoved into the corner.  
  
Aerith sat on the little stool, gazing at her reflection with trepidation. The person who stared back was not the naïve, optimistic, happy-go-lucky girl she had been two years ago. Long chestnut hair hung in thick curls down to her waist, and was slightly frizzy with the heat from outside. She had an ivory pallor that came of the hard weeks before her death, and then burial far away from the sun. Her scarlet half-jacket was, curiously, nowhere to be found, replaced for the time being by Vincent's cape, draped over her slender shoulders. Her signature pink dress had dried in the heat as well. The metal bangles on her narrow wrists had, equally as curiously, not rusted, though they did look a bit worse for the wear. Her face itself hadn't changed much; sure, her lips were a little paler, and small lines did crease her brow, but she knew she was the same because glittering emerald eyes stared back at her. Wide, innocent, clear as day, they reflected her continued love of life, even in death, as it had been.  
  
A sudden knock sounded at the door, interrupting her lengthy musing. "Aerith?" Vincent's voice was hesitant. "Aerith, there should be clothes in your size in the dresser. I'm going to go rest; you should do the same. We'll go to Nibelheim tomorrow."  
  
"All right, Vincent. Thank you." She rose and crossed the room to investigate, rifling through the contents of the dresser, finding women's clothes that should just about fit her. She wondered who they belonged to. Certainly Rufus ShinRa was not married, and even his mistress would have no need of so much clothing. With a sigh, she gently closed the oak dresser's drawer and went to sit on the very edge of the bed. She perched cautiously, staring about the room as she listened to Vincent's footsteps recede down the hall.  
  
He wasn't going to sleep on the couch. There was a basement in this house and Vincent knew it. The old wooden stairs creaked under his boots, but the damp darkness of the below level calmed him somewhat. Settling against the far wall so he had a clear view of the stairs and the doorway opening onto them, Vincent fell swiftly into his restless nightmares. Little did he know, Aerith herself suffered much the same.. but she would never tell him.  
  
For who she was, everyone probably assumed Aerith dreamt of pretty flower fields, bathed in warm golden sunlight, fields that she could spend forever in. Warm life would flood through these meadows, and she could be content to spend the rest of her afterlife, forgetting the trials of the Planet, of Lifestream, of.. of her friends. Or at least, she seemed the type to never suffer from nightmares, that constant optimism kept them at bay. Before she'd died, this had been relatively true, but the open, floating nothingness of death left little to the imagination. The afterlife was conscious, yes, but it was not physical; there were not places she could go, things she could do. As the last Ancient, she was aware of the suffering of the Planet; also as the last Ancient, she was expected to ease that hurt, which she did. But then she was left, a conscience, dispersed through a simple lack of everything, with no purpose. For one who constantly tried to help, this was almost punishment for her.  
  
But life, life had brought her nightmares. Aerith lay curled up on the oversized bed, one hand clenching tightly onto the bedspread. She dreamt of the crater. She saw him, perfection but for the minor flaw of psychotic insanity. Green eyes, a shade paler than her own, shone forth from a face of fine bone structure. High cheekbones accentuated his eyes, and it was only the crazy smile that tugged incessantly at the corners of his mouth that insinuated that he might be a little less than sane. A veritable mane of platinum hair fell from the crown of his head, near to his waist. Two spiky locks completed the picture, and she started when she realized who he had to be. Cold steel bands contracted around her heart, and she knew she was dreaming, but he wasn't going to let her escape this dream world he'd built for her. Not yet.  
  
One pale, slender hand reached out to her, and she jerked back compulsively. His smile disappeared almost immediately, and he snarled, a feral sound. Within the confines of her mind, Aerith repeated over and over to herself that she knew, she /knew/, it was a dream. As if he understood what she was telling herself, his smile returned slightly, and he dropped his hand, speaking out to her instead.  
  
"Hello, Aerith. I see those bastards you call friends have brought you back. Never mind that, though. You'll belong to me soon enough. It was rash, to kill you so.. I have new plans, and they don't involve Mother." A spasm crossed his features when he spoke of Jenova, but he soon got himself under control, finishing by adding, "She /lied/ to me. But I have found someone new to love." His smile was twisted, and Aerith had the sinking feeling he was talking about her.  
  
The dream world fragmented and shattered around her. The last thing she saw was his face twisted with rage that she should escape his nightmarish paradise so easily. She jerked upright on the bed in the Costa del Sol home, wildly confused as she scooted back against the headboard. She drew her knees up, locking them and wrapping her arms tightly around, rocking herself back and forth for several long, silent minutes. Sephiroth..  
  
Decisively, Aerith slipped off the bed, standing in a patch of sunlight slanting through the windows. It was sundown, and the rosy golden light bathed her in a sense of calm, until the cold terror of her dream gripped her once more. Padding softly but swiftly out the door, Aerith checked the little living room opposite, not really expecting Vincent to be there. Turning, she headed down to the basement, and upon finding him here, promptly sat beside him against the wall. With a sigh, she curled her legs up behind her, resting her head against Vincent's shoulder. Exhaustion brought on by the creeping fear of her dream sent her right back to sleep.  
  
Vincent, although wrapped up in his own personal, persistent nightmares, felt the presence descend beside him, lean against him. The silver weapon slung from his hip was out of its holster, the barrel resting against Aerith's forehead and his finger on the trigger before both scarlet orbs had even opened. Noting who slept beside him, he swiftly returned the weapon, scowling at his own paranoia. Unwilling to disturb her, he simply settled back to sleep, resuming his nightmares as surely as he'd replaced the weapon in its holster.  
  
Night passed swiftly, and Aerith awoke before dawn. Normally she would have slept later in the state she was in, but Vincent's suffering had caused him to stir and shift, muttering in soft, swift tones to himself. Though she couldn't decipher his words, she understood the gist, and promptly set to awakening him. Crimson eyes flew up and Vincent looked as confused as she herself had been when she'd first awakened.  
  
"Vincent, are you all right? These nightmares, you can't deal with them yourself. You said they have persisted for three decades? Well, obviously you're not going about relieving yourself of them the right way."  
  
He sat in stoic silence for a minute before a hint of iron came into his voice to dissuade her of offering her help anymore. She wouldn't want to bother aiding him, once she'd been reunited with Cloud. "Aerith, drop it, you can't help me with my nightmares. They're my problem, and mine alone."  
  
She stared at him speechless as he rose, dusting himself off and turning to look down at her, his features expressionless. "Let's go, Aerith. It's time we went to Nibelheim." He left the basement without a further word, leaving Aerith to wander, stunned, up the stairs and after him.  
  
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That was kind of long @.@ Soz. I hope you liked it, though!  
  
Up next is Nibelheim and, obviously, Cloud. Lots of interaction with Cloud. Lots of Vincent being stubborn. Lots of Tifa smacking Cloud around. No, just kidding about that last one. I think.  
  
Anyway, please review! I really love getting them from any and everyone ^^;; 


	4. cloud nine

Disclaimer: Surprisingly enough, I still don't own FFVII, Square Enix, Squaresoft, or any of the people, places, or things mentioned hereafter, except Ryan, but he isn't a character from VII anyway, so it's all good =)  
  
Whoo, reviews.. well.. I appreciate all my reviews, but from now on, I'm just going to answer questions.. should you guys ask any.  
  
Ryan: Basically, she can't separate the reviews for chapter 3 from the rest of them, and she's too confused to do anything about it.. ;  
  
; Ahem. Yeah. I do love reviews though, and I love all you guys who are sticking with me, especially people who come back unexpectedly to review two at once, whoot for Alysia-Chan! Okay, so that was one, but I'm good now.  
  
Chapter four, anyone?  
  
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The Tiny Bronco had headed west over a first mountain range, arrowing towards Nibelheim. Aerith stood in the back of the cramped plane, trying her hardest to ignore Vincent lest she start crying. Thus it was that she didn't notice the glances he kept throwing her way. Crimson eyes flashed anxiously; he couldn't fathom the source of her enmity.  
  
Of course, they had left Costa del Sol on sullen terms. After Vincent had stalked out of the basement and Aerith, stunned, had followed, he'd told her to take whatever she would need. Spreading her arms uselessly, Aerith had asked him what a ghost could possibly need. Disheartened, they had left the beach house and she had ascended the steps of the plane resting at the far end of the western dock without the assistance of Vincent's hand.  
  
He thought she was eager to be away from him, to see Cloud; she thought he'd be glad to be rid of her. Her heart ached at the thought, icy bands contracting in her chest and making it hard to breathe. In an attempt to calm herself, she locked her gaze on the fuzzy, white-topped mountain scenery below.  
  
Nibelheim was a middle-sized town nestled within a mountain range, backed by the lone Mt. Nibel. Vincent hardly noticed as the plane lost altitude, distracted perpetually by the dreamy expression Aerith's mien.  
  
She asked for no help when the cockpit opened upon the grassy expanse behind Nibelheim, to the fore of Mt. Nibel. Descending the stairs with a spryness of step surprising in one so unused to moving, Vincent followed cautiously after, moving slowly for no reason other than to prolong his time with her. She didn't mind.or maybe she didn't notice. In any case, they headed to Nibelheim together, crossing the grassy sward that was the town's backyard. Shinra mansion loomed ahead, the final building in Nibelheim, or the first in their case.  
  
Vincent could feel the expansive manse calling to him; could feel it in his blood as surely as he could hear the demons in his head mocking him, taunting him. He longed to return to his stolid, silent tomb beneath the manse, hidden away from everyone. He suppressed the need, however pacing himself to Aerith's slow gait when finally they stood before the imposing structure with its metal-barred gates, Vincent could stand it no longer. He turned to Aerith to say his good-byes. The broken-hearted expression she wore forced his words back down lest he choke on them. And so, he rephrased them.  
  
"I am returning to the mansion, Aerith. Cloud and the others, their bar is where the inn used to be. If you need me, you know where to find me."  
  
Aerith nodded her understanding and turned towards the western curve of the town. Treading slowly, she stood silently before the newly remade Seventh Heaven many minutes later, contemplating the consequences of her entrance. By the time she'd made up her mind, Vincent was already unlocking the secret door to the hidden spiral staircase and descending swiftly to the musty chamber housing his coffin.  
  
Business within the Seventh Heaven ranged as usual. Their real rush had just started with the onset of dusk, and rosy-golden light filtered in through windows cleverly placed to keep half of the bar bathed in light while the rest was hidden in shadows. The registration desk of the inn had been cleared out, and the area it formerly took up was now dispersed through with random little tables and chairs. At the far end of the building, the desk had been moved and extended to form the structure of a bar, as well as heightened so the bar stools kept customers level.  
  
A lanky youth presently stood behind that bar, his back to the door. He had the look of one just now grown into himself, though he had proven himself far more competent and serious years before. Blond hair rose in spikes and peaks with no sort of order, as untamable as ever before. He still, years later, refused to stubbornly give up the attire he'd worn as a SOLDIER. Tifa teased him mercilessly about it, but Cloud endured stoically. At the moment, she stood across the room, watching him anxiously. Long, dark chocolate locks still fell straight down past her waist, and were still tied at the very bottom simply. A short apron tied around her waist and a slight added length to the hem of her skirt showed as the only differences in her attire. Slight lines expressed the seriousness she'd adopted after Aerith's death, though many of them were still laugh lines; though not a constant optimist as her friend had been, Tifa was not one to give up hope and life.  
  
Tifa noticed the uncertain woman standing at the door first. Wondering at her hesitance, she set the empty tray she'd been carrying on the bar and leaned over to tweak an especially awry spike of Cloud's hair before crossing to the door.  
  
"Welcome to the Seventh Heaven. Are you looking for someone, love? Can I help."  
  
Tifa's voice cut off in a choked manner when the woman raised emerald eyes brimming with tears to meet Tifa's own coffee-hued orbs. With a startled gasp, the slightly shorter woman threw her arms around Aerith, and, crying now, Aerith returned the embrace instinctively. Crystalline tears fell from both women's eyes, mingling and mixing as they cried and laughed within each other's arms.  
  
Cloud frowned as he turned, having heard Tifa start her customary greeting and cut off suddenly. At the sound of her tears, he jumped over the bar and crossed the floor swiftly, though his expression deepened with confusion rather than anxiety as he saw that she was in no sort of danger other than being hugged to death. Feeling slightly foolish for his rash action, he stood awkwardly off to the side, trying to determine who the second woman was.  
  
Tifa noticed Cloud's presence, but she was so overawed by the identity of the woman she embraced as a sister that she completely ignored him. In fact, it was Aerith who finally released her so that both could turn their attention to the bewildered man standing beside them, the worry in his features turned to puzzlement. As Tifa stepped back and Aerith turned to face Cloud, he froze in a sudden miasma of shock and disbelief. Mako blue eyes, opened in an immobile expression of that words he couldn't form, searched the misty emerald eyes staring back into his own.  
  
Without words, he gently took Tifa's arm and pulled her backwards. "Aerith.." He swept her close, hugging the woman to his body. With Tifa besides, Aerith felt the faint, uneasy sense of awkwardness that always pervaded their relationship when Cloud showed favor over one or another. It faded fast when she caught a glimpse of the confused joy and relief on the other woman's mien. Aerith let herself veritably melt against Cloud, taking comfort in his solid willingness to simply hold her; Vincent was far too stoic and aware to ever let his feelings or wishes show.  
  
"Aerith, why.. how are you back?" He loosened his arms from around her, holding her instead at arm's length. Mako blue eyes searched her own, and Aerith felt herself lost in his eyes, as she had felt that first time she'd met him, and again when he fell through her roof. Losing herself in those eyes was the reason behind her impulsive decision to ask him to be her bodyguard. Those eyes had been the impetus behind her decision to head to the City of Ancients alone, to die on Sephiroth's sword. They had all been so innocent then. Cloud's eyes.. she had forgotten them in the blurry haze of her afterlife.  
  
"Vincent," she replied swiftly, the lengthy musing running through her thoughts in just a matter of seconds. "He brought me back. I, well I don't really know how."  
  
Cloud's eyes flashed a moment at the mention of the recluse, but Tifa interrupted with, "Aerith, this is wonderful! I don't understand, but it's amazing. We have to get Vincent here to-"  
  
"Vincent will not want to leave his coffin, Tifa." Cloud's voice brooked no arguments and Tifa subsided  
  
"Why are you two so surprised? Didn't you all decide to bring me back together?" Aerith was genuinely puzzled at their unfeigned joy coupled with sincere ignorance of her revival.  
  
"Together?" Cloud regarded her quizzically, shaking his head slowly. "No.. we hardly speak with Vincent. I had no idea of any intention to bring you back."  
  
Aerith stared at him, surprise mixing with a creeping sense of dread. A cold indifference settled into her skin as she queried softly, "You guys, and Barrett, none of you had any idea about this? You didn't decide to bring me back with Vincent?" Cloud and Tifa's simultaneous head shakes made Aerith dizzy.  
  
"I.. I need to sit down." Her voice was faint as she pulled out the nearest chair and promptly fell into it. Cloud immediately knelt in front of her, and Tifa lowered herself into a crouch beside her beleaguered friend. Neither understood what was going on in the slightest, but both shared similar concern for the formerly dead woman.  
  
"Aerith? Is something the matter? Are you feeling all right, love?" Tifa's innocently excited expression had melted into one of pure concern. "I think you should go lay down for a while. You don't look well."  
  
"N-no, I should be all right, Tifa. It's just a dizzy spell. I've had them since I came back to life," she added, the untruth rolling easily off her tongue though it made her head achy abominably to lie, even so negligibly to her friends. "Guess it comes with the territory." She forced a weak smile to her features, hoping to reassure the two.  
  
Cloud impulsively reached out and took her hand, pressing it between both of his. Unbidden, the action sent a shiver tracing down her spine, but she wrote it off to chills. Neither Cloud nor Tifa noticed.  
  
"Aerith, come upstairs and rest a while." Cloud straightened and helped the chestnut-haired woman to her feet. "You'll feel better. Tifa, you can manage here for a little while by yourself, yeah?" He raised one blond brow, regarding the other brunette. Tifa nodded her agreement as she rose. "Take care, Aerith, all right? Just lay down for a little bit, you'll feel better." Smiling amiably, Tifa headed off to the bar.  
  
Still holding her hand, Cloud led Aerith upstairs, and she followed faithfully behind though the tug on her arm increased as they ascended, making her shoulder sore. She sighed softly as she stumbled as gracefully as possible up the stairs after him, emerald eyes searching the everpresent crowd below, forcing words to her lips to end the odd silence between them. "Shouldn't you help Tifa close up, or something?"  
  
"Nah, we still have a few hours till last call. Don't worry Aerith, all right?" He smiled gently as he led her to the nearest bedroom, situated just above the bar. "Tifa can handle it, anyway. You know her."  
  
She nodded again as she followed him timidly inside, sweeping her uncommonly serious eyes over the furnished inside of his bedroom. "If.. If you say so.." How much she had said that today, in so few hours of being alive.. maybe it wasn't as any of them said. She felt too dependent, even as Cloud tightened his hold on her hand and led her to take a seat on the edge of the neatly made bed. Being led like such, it made her sense of dependency even worse. She felt awkward inside, as if she no longer belonged; as if death had robbed her of the ability to fit in with those she'd been closest too. As an afterthought, she added quietly, "Thank you, Cloud."  
  
He smiled as he sat beside her on the bed, twining his fingers through hers, meeting her eyes unflinchingly. "You're welcome, Aerith. I.. I have missed you so much." He leaned forward impulsively and kissed her, just barely brushing his lips gently against hers before she jerked away with a start.  
  
She wore an expression of utterly naïve confusion. She didn't understand, and it had just hit her. She gazed at him, hurt reflected in her eyes as surely as her smile had, asking softly, "Cloud, why didn't you try to bring me back, after Sephiroth was gone?" She stressed the word "you", and he flinched backwards slightly, as if stung, his eyes lowering for a moment to the floor before he met her gaze.  
  
"I honestly didn't think it was possible, Aerith."  
  
She laughed, a startlingly bitter sound that didn't quite suit her. "Wasn't worth a shot, though, huh?" She sighed when he wouldn't look at her. "I need some fresh air. I'll come back later, Cloud. Don't worry about me." She forced a tiny smile to grace those lips, and swiftly bent to kiss his cheek lightly in almost the same movement as she rose. Straightening, she turned on her heel and disappeared through his door, hurrying down the stairs and out the door to the bar, praying strongly that she'd not be noticed by Tifa or Barret. Makou blue eyes stared after her, a hurt expression writ in every line of his features.  
  
Cloud didn't understand. Had they scared her off? His frown got deeper as he glanced up at the ceiling, blinking away the tears that blurred his vision as she had left. Left him again.. Damn Vincent, why did he have to show him up? He balled his hand up into a fist, knuckles turning white with fury. "Damn him.." Rising from the deserted bed, he reluctantly headed back downstairs to work, though his every instinct screamed for him to chase her.  
  
Aerith's heart pounded loudly in her ears, her racing pulse and dull, thudding headache making it impossible to think straight. After her stately exit, she had sidestepped and darted in a most undignified manner to the side of the building, leaning against it now. She sighed, closing her eyes as she fought to rein in her emotions and get a handle on the situation that now plagued her. Something wasn't right, and she was trapped in a miasma of untruths. Vincent. He had told her they all decided to bring her back. She needed to talk to him.  
  
Why had he lied to her?  
  
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A/N: Haha, my adoring fans, it's been a while, ne? Miss me? :D  
  
So this chapter is kind of off, and I apologize if it seems different from the previous three. I have been absolutely floundering with it for days on end, and I wanted to give you guys something, so that was it.  
  
Ryan says review :D  
  
PS - okay, so I bet no one else noticed this, but I'm the author and it irks me, so I'm going to point it out. I spelled the name of Cid's wife 'Shera' and 'Shara.' Now, I know there are different ways to spell everyone's names (ie., my use of 'Aerith' rather than 'Aeris') but I HATE when I'm not consistent. So I'm sorry for that little mix-up. Even though I realize no one probably noticed. That's all. You may return to reviewing. 


	5. silence is deafening

Disclaimer: No matter what I say, I don't own FFVII, but I will in the near future. Until my corporate takeover comes to fruition, VII and all its characters belong to Square, Inc., and all those other companies I listed in the previous four chapters. I don't really need to keep writing this, do I?  
  
Well, hey! :D It's Luinia, how are all you guys? I hope you like this chapter, as it seems to have taken me absolutely forever to write it...  
  
But first – a great, big, massive group glomp for all my reviewers! I love you guys :D  
  
So now you may read, as I'm done rambling =)  
  
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Nibelheim lay silent in the fading light but for the soft footfalls of a woman pacing through its dirt-packed streets. Aerith could not make up her mind, and so she had taken to wandering back and forth between Cloud's childhood home and the imposing gates of the Shinra mansion.  
  
She didn't know why she had left Cloud and the security he represented. Vincent was hidden in shadow always, representing something unknown, something uncertain. She kept comparing the two as such, which really ended up being unfair to both in the end. Vincent's mystique provided him with an aura of something enigmatic, something dangerous. On the other hand, she knew the extent to which Cloud could be dangerous. She didn't, however, want to test his limits. The constant wandering of her thoughts, inevitably back to Vincent, gave her the dreadful feeling that she would undoubtedly test, if not surpass and break those boundaries despite her wishes.  
  
Things would be so much easier if Cloud would be with Tifa. Aerith had no doubt that, should she have remained in her watery tomb, he would have eventually married her. Aerith feared her appearance would hurt both Tifa and Cloud exponentially. She could do so much better by them should she disappear again.  
  
But there was still the matter of Vincent's lies. Aerith wasn't exactly sure how to address them yet, but subconsciously she need to, as proven when her feet brought her to the mansion and stopped her circuit. No matter how vainly she willed it, she couldn't walk away now; if she did, she wasn't sure she'd ever walk back. It was better that she face him now, and find out just what was going on. Nonetheless, she stood in the shadow of that mansion a long time before she'd worked up the nerve to enter the forbidding edifice.  
  
The foyer just within the front doors was just as dark and musty as she remembered it. It took a moment's respite for her eyes to adjust to the interior lighting, and she was glad of it, for her heart had begun to pound uncomfortably in her ears. On second glance, she noticed a direct set of boot prints that disturbed the layer of dust piling on the floor. Again, a semi-thankful feeling flooded her, as she couldn't clearly remember where the stairwell was hidden. Following in Vincent's steps was easier than wandering around the mansion till she stumbled upon the false door again. The stairway on the right led her to the second landing, and she turned right once more unhesitatingly, emerald eyes followed the clear path in the dust. His steps quite suddenly got lighter, but it mattered not as she remembered this part with certain clarity.  
  
She approached the false door, searching its surface warily for the trigger. Pale hands ran over the place she knew a slightly-indented brick rested, and when she found it, she pushed slightly inwards; a sudden click sounded as the tumblers fell into place, turning to unlock the door. The area the door slid back to reveal wasn't so much a space as a landing; the spiral staircase began almost immediately. It was precisely as she remembered it, though minus the fiends with the addition of a thick layer of dust. She couldn't imagine why she didn't see Vincent's footprints here, but it was nothing to worry over, she hoped. She hugged closely to the wall, for the spiral was rickety and narrow, and had no railing. After several dizzying revolutions, she was glad of the few normal steps at the bottom.  
  
The hallway connected to the base of the spiral was eerie as ever, lit with a curious array of purple and blue hues. It was a basement, surely, but odder than any other. She followed the relatively straightforward path, but halted at the room off to her left. Aerith paused, her gaze sliding to the library directly ahead; she felt inexorably drawn to it. But no, no, Vincent was in the tomb to her left. Shaking off a lassitude that had settled over her when she'd considered entering the library, she confidently strode into the little room off to the left. It remained populated as ever by coffins and skeletons, as well as a choking, dank air. It was stifling. Nonetheless, Aerith scanned the small room, swiftly determining which coffin had to be Vincent's. She wondered aloud if it ever occurred to him that sleeping in a tomb might be part of the reason for his nightmares. If not the reason, then certainly a boost to their tormenting skill for pain.  
  
She really had no idea how to capture Vincent's attention. Opening his coffin uninvited would surely warrant a death before either of them had any idea what happened in the matter; Vincent's skill and tendency towards paranoia were enough to make her think twice before trying to open the coffin on her own. With a sigh, she settled on the cold, hard stone of the floor, kneeling so as to be on a level with the coffin. She sat still for several minutes, still considering her options. If Vincent was awake, then he wasn't acknowledging her. If he was asleep.. well, if he was asleep, then he was asleep. It wasn't as if she could do anything about that. In the end, the only solution she could create was to talk to him and hope he opened the tomb.  
  
"Vincent.. can you hear me?" Her voice was slightly hoarse as she hadn't spoken to anyone in a while; in fact, it had been two years since she'd spoken before two days ago, so really, it was impressive that she could talk at all. "Um.. Vincent, please wake up. I.. I need to talk to you."  
  
Crimson eyes popped open, and Vincent's rose to wakefulness rapidly. He stared at the still-closed lid of his coffin, his head tilted slightly to listen to that voice.. her voice. "Yes? How can I help you, Aerith?" He wasn't sure he was ready to physically face her, knowing she'd just been to see Cloud.. knowing she'd been gone for so many hours in that spiky hothead's company. Or so he thought he knew; in actuality, she'd whiled most of her time away in confused thought, torn between Cloud's home and Vincent's.. well, coffin.  
  
She wrung her hands together anxiously, metal bracelets clanking together to pierce the stale air of the crypt-like structure with a resounding sound. She waited a moment, seemed like hours, to see if he would open the coffin, before responding at his evident refusal to. "Vincent, I.. I talked to Cloud. He said.. he told me he had no idea you were going to resurrect me."  
  
Vincent sighed, his lips forming a little 'oh', though not of surprise. Of course she'd asked Cloud. She was Aerith; she'd always been like that. He frowned a little as he raised both hands to push the coffin lid back, sitting up to address her properly. He owed her that, at least. "I'm truly sorry, Aerith."  
  
She was a little, to say the least, surprised. Sorry? What had he to apologize for? For a moment, she forgot her intense dislike of the things that collect dust in forgotten, unused areas, as puzzled as she was about his response. "What are you sorry for, Vincent? I don't understand; is something the matter?" She stared quizzically up at him, confusion writ deep in those depthless eyes.  
  
His frown just grew more intense, deepening those lines of sorrow she'd so rarely seen. The blank, emotionless expression he usually wore gave no hint as to the concerned lines etched into his visage, or the laughter lines he could, but probably didn't have. "I resurrected you of my own selfish desires, Aerith. I wanted to see you alive. But then.. then I realized you and Cloud, you love each other. I should not interfere with that; I have no desire to hurt you, or to add to my nightmares."  
  
A similar frown tugged at the corners of her lips, pulling them down and adding to the confused expression she seemed to be unable to shake off recently. "Vincent, I don't.. I mean, Cloud, he might.. I can't.." She shook her head, unable to find the words she wanted to say to him, the gesture a physical representation of the mental shake she was giving herself now. She took a deep breath, instantly regretting it for the stale, cold air in the tomb, freezing halfway to her lungs. "I don't love Cloud, Vincent. I've been dead for two years, for all the gods' sakes. I don't know what to feel, except apparently confused." She tried for a small smile; it failed miserably in the face of the momentous conversation they were so calmly holding.  
  
He didn't, couldn't, wouldn't look at her; only at his steel-tipped boots. Obsidian hair fell over his narrow shoulders as he nodded to show he was listening to what she said, taking a deep breath himself. He didn't mind the air so much as she did, though he regretted that she was discomfited by it. He had no response for her; what could he say? In truth, he had no response he found acceptable; he did have a few things he could say. He wouldn't put that kind of pressure on her; it would tear into his already rent soul, the very thought of putting the burden of his love on her delicate, slender shoulders. So he kept his silence, thinking it the best policy.  
  
She stared at him for a long, long moment, willing back the tears that burned so fiercely behind emerald eyes. She would not cry in front of him.. she would not. If he didn't want to talk to her about the interlacing problems in the former AVALANCHE members' relationships, then the least she could do was not embarrass him further by crying. "Very well. I'm.. I'm sorry for disturbing you, Vincent. If you want to sleep, go ahead. I'll leave now." She forced her voice to remain as neutral as possible, running one hand anxiously back through auburn curls as she rose, just now noticing the cramps and aches kneeling on that floor had caused her.  
  
The words he longed to say to her, they rose from the bottom of his heart, but were brutally rejected by the practical part of his brain. They wouldn't do, so he lay back in his coffin, staring up the ceiling to avoid her gaze. "Good night, Aerith."  
  
Taking this as his dismissal, she nodded, her expression abysmal. Turning around, she swiftly exited the tomb, silent tears creating tracks in the faint, grimy layer that had settled on her from exposure to this everlasting, quiet death. She hurried from the mansion as if all seven hells chased at her heels, sending her back into the relative calm of Nibelheim. Vincent cursed himself further, cursed his soul, his heart, his weaknesses and strengths.. cursed his demons.  
  
And somewhere not so far away, Sephiroth laughed, the maniacal sound echoing in terrifying waves.  
  
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Whee, I finished! ^^ I don't have much to say, other than I'm sorry this took so long =) I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you think I'm straying, or if you have questions, or if you just want to shower me with love and praise ;D 


	6. mistakes

Disclaimer: Apparently disappearing for a few months still does not give me complete ownership of FFVII. So, you got it... all characters, past events, etc. still property of Square Enix. Oh well, better luck next time... =)  
  
Wow, I'd first like to APOLOGIZE to all of you! I don't know, I just stopped writing this for a while there... I was working on this massive, mixed crossover fic and I just got lazy with "Detached." I promise not to do it again, promise promise!! I love you all and I hope you're still with me, 'cause from now on I'm actually going to update. In fact, I even started working on ch. 7 already!  
  
Again, big, massive, way overdue apologies to EVERYONE who read this and was disappointed that I went poof for a while.  
  
I hope you like 'Mistakes.'  
  
---  
  
She was running.  
  
She didn't know where to, she only knew what from, and that was all that mattered. She was fleeing him blindly, feeling his indifference more acutely than she'd felt Sephiroth's blade. She felt the wind on her face, stinging her cheeks with its cold, and she felt it whipping through her hair, and she heard her heart pounding in her ears, and she was aware of her feet thrumming hard on the packed earth, but nothing would distract her from the keen pain lancing through her heart. She had understood why Sephiroth had killed her; she didn't understand now why Vincent would be, how he could be, so emotionless, so blank to her. So she was running to get past all that, to escape her own thoughts.  
  
Cloud had no intentions of going out to look for her; he was merely out hoping to _see_ her. He wasn't going to interfere if she felt she needed to see Vincent so desperately, especially since he'd probably deck Vincent one for not telling them about his plans to bring Aerith back to life, or at least that he was going to try to. That's why he didn't see her till it was slightly too late, and she didn't see anything at all.  
  
Actually, as it happened, he did see her, but he recognized her belatedly... right as she crashed into him, in fact. Even lightning fast reflexes couldn't get him out of her way fast enough without knocking her straight to the ground, and he wouldn't risk that, even when he didn't distinguish her face as Aerith's. Resignedly he tried to slow her down and stay on his feet, but the momentum at which she slammed bodily into him took him straight to the dirt and her with him. He grunted when she landed on top him, elbowing him hard in the gut.  
  
Aerith was jarred back to her senses when she ran into something quite solid and quite unyielding. She became aware that it was a person when she heard an irritated sound from beneath her, and she fought to disentangle herself from him. It only took a moment for her to recognize that spiky head, and she stared at Cloud, dismayed. She sat back down in the dirt hard, staring across at him.  
  
"Cloud! Oh, of all the... Cloud, I'm so sorry! I... I didn't see you," she finished lamely.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed." Still slightly disgruntled at being jarred to the ground, Cloud nonetheless jumped gracefully back onto his feet. Bending smoothly, he took Aerith's hand and helped her up, his irrationally irritated scowl fading. "It's all right, Aerith. You've no need to apologize. Walk back to the Inn with me?" Though phrased as a question, the ex-SOLDIER's inflection rose not a whit, and Aerith nodded in compliance to refrain from offending him (again) by refusing and leaving (again).  
  
He led her by the hand back to the Seventh Heaven, entered silently and without question. She followed with uncharacteristic docility and obedience, too worn by Vincent's apathy to question Cloud at all. She noticed with obscured eyes that the Bar was practically empty, that just a few burly woodsmen remained, that Tifa had disappeared somewhere, probably into the kitchen hidden cleverly behind the liqueur-stocked wall. Ah... and the chair she'd occupied earlier was still empty. With a grateful sigh, she settled back into it as soon as Cloud had released her, who had wandered off by himself to get a drink from behind the bar. She sunk back into that chair and bent over her own knees, head in her hands, hazy emerald eyes on the floor.  
  
"Aerith, drink." A glass, clear and refreshing with water, was held out to her. A long moment's hesitation preceded her acceptance of the water, and she took a dainty sip just to appease Cloud. When he was sure she'd drink the rest of it of her own volition, he pulled out the nearest chair, swinging it around backwards before sitting on it, his arms folded atop the back of the chair. "Are you feeling any better?"  
  
Aerith had lifted her head to accept the glass and now stared down at the water, little ripples disturbing the liquid surface. Her hands were trembling slightly. Cloud did not notice. She stood another deep, steadying breath before looking up at him. He was gazing straight at her, but she had the feeling he wasn't really seeing. She sighed and straightened, squarely meeting his gaze, a flash of steel fleeting in her eyes. Softly, she replied, "Yes, a little... I guess... I don't know. Cloud... do you really love me?"  
  
Cloud blinked a few times, not only caught off-guard but hesitant to respond. He didn't know how to describe the relationship he had with Tifa. He didn't know how he felt about Aerith anymore; she'd been dead for two years. But it didn't mean he didn't love her. He nodded after a moment, replying, "Yes, Aerith... I do." He couldn't bring himself to actually say the words "I love you" to her, not yet.  
  
Aerith stared hard at him, a frown curving the corners of her mouth downwards. Without breaking her locked gaze, she discreetly raised one hand, raking slender fingers back through thick locks. She thought for a long moment before asking, "Honestly? But _how_? I don't understand. Two years, Cloud... why haven't you moved on? Why haven't you married Tifa, or someone else? I thought you two would be long bound to one another."  
  
Cloud smiled easily, his eyes averted a little. He couldn't look at her straight on. "Well, you... you had a major effect on me, Aerith. I couldn't just move on after you died. I was in too much pain to get emotional about anything but your death."  
  
Aerith sighed and finally lowered her eyes. Her expression was miserable but she struggled to conceal it, changing the subject as she inquired, "Cloud, can I stay the night here? I don't wish to impose on you at all, but I'd rather not stay up at the mansion and I don't know where else..."  
  
"Of course, Aerith. Say no more." He gave her another smile, reaching out to lay his hand on her shoulder. "You can sleep in my room, all right?"  
  
Another soft sigh rose from gentle vocals, escaping past lips that didn't know whether to smile or to frown. She gazed at him a long moment before nodding, still a little confused as to her own emotional standing. He rose to his feet and pushed the chair back in, holding his hand out to her to help her to her feet. Aerith took his hand hesitantly at first but she quickly tightened her grip, raising her eyes to meet his as she made an impulsive decision. "Cloud, will you stay with me tonight?"  
  
He pulled her into an embrace immediately. "I will stay with you, Aerith... I will stay as long as you need and want me to. I'll probably stay even longer than that," he added, smiling wanly, his attempt at a joke falling flat in the face of her misery and confusion.  
  
Aerith leaned dependently against Cloud as soon as he hugged her, one arm around his torso, the other, his shoulders. She buried her face against his chest, murmuring, "Thank you, Cloud."  
  
Cloud was a little confused himself now, but mostly because he was a little inexperienced about true expression of emotion and gratitude. He was used to either having women throw themselves at him or skirt-chasing on his own. He knew that when Aerith said she wanted him to stay with her, she meant it in a completely platonic way. And, oddly enough for him, he didn't mind. He looked forward, in fact, to simply sleeping with the woman he had once and possibly still loved. He rubbed her back comfortingly, a slight smile reappearing on his features. "You're welcome."  
  
"Let's go, please, Cloud..." Aerith's voice was slightly muffled and she pulled away from him to remedy that, though she spoke no more and cast her gaze down to the worn floorboards. She took hold of his hand, her grip excruciatingly tight.  
  
He nodded, slightly surprised at the strength of her hold. He squeezed her hand reassuringly before pulling her gently away, leading her to and up the stairs. Aerith watched the steps as she passed behind him, green eyes troubled. Cloud, oblivious, led her into the bedroom she had previously gotten acquainted with. Aerith looked around a little uneasily at this now familiar interior. Wordlessly and abruptly, she made an impulsive decision and threw her arms around him once more in a silent expression of her gratitude. Cloud sighed softly, holding her tightly to calm her. He was truly confused but he'd rather not show it. He knew Aerith was looking for nothing but to be held, but he did not understand what made her seek this comfort so desperately. She'd suddenly just become so questioning and clinging right after...  
  
Right after she'd gone to see Vincent.  
  
Cloud sighed once more and released Aerith, letting her go where she would. He smiled wanly for her sake as he sunk to sit on the edge of the bed. She followed him immediately but rather than sit, she lay down, curled on her side, and rested her head in Cloud's lap. He blinked in surprise, gazing down at her; she seemed unaware of his uneasiness. Loose auburn curls obscured her expression and pale, irrationally determined features. Emerald eyes, half-closed with exhaustion, shone with a fierce light that further discomfited Cloud.  
  
"Is something bothering you, Aerith?" He was hesitant to disturb her but he asked quietly anyway, worried about her overall well being. He lightly stroked her hair, strong hair with their tanned, callused digits surprisingly gentle.  
  
"No, nothing, Cloud... I'm just overtired now." She shifted minutely, closing her eyes to dim their intense light. As an afterthought, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.  
  
He smiled with relief, still gently stroking her hair, his fingers trailing through the chestnut locks. "Sleep, then. I don't grudge you sleep when you are so clearly exhausted."  
  
Aerith sighed softly and shifted once more, moving to find a more comfortable position on the edge of the bed. One small, delicate hand lifted to tuck auburn locks behind one ear. "Good night, then, Cloud. Thank you again." A small smile played at both corners of her lips as she drifted into a half-sleep, untroubled by night terrors. Cloud lay back, watching her for a long moment before he too closed his eyes, seeking repose as well. Aerith moved away from him unconsciously, curling her lithe body into a small, protective ball. An expression of beautiful tranquillity lit on her features at his rest devoid of dreams. Cloud turned a bit to curl beside the little ball she made. He smiled, still asleep, and passed one arm around her, pulling her close.  
  
Aerith murmured softly, incoherently under her breath, unwinding somewhat and loosening her hold on herself. She wished to conform and fit against him, finding comfort for herself with his decidedly solid presence. He held her closer, subconsciously, understanding her need for closeness. It was one of the few things, Aerith found, that Cloud understood at all. He was very aloof and very oblivious most of the time, unless he wanted something. She found, however, he could understand her, or anyone for that matter, at a very basic level. She sighed softly and moved one hand to pull his arm tighter around herself, simply needing to be with him. Cloud's presence seemed to scare off the nightmares that lurked at the edge of her mind, nightmares born of her death and life. Cloud smiled, opening his eyes. He reached up with one hand, brushing her hair away and lowering his head to kiss the nape of her neck softly, ghost-like.  
  
He would have been happy, content, just to hold her, had she not uttered such fateful words.  
  
She stirred slightly against him, her frown returning faintly as she, her mind still murky with sleep, muttered quietly, "What? Vincent...?"  
  
Cloud froze and could simply watch as jade eyes flew open, horrified, as she realized what she'd uttered. Aerith jerked upright to look at Cloud, clearly terrified of his reaction. He blinked once, slowly, staring at her before his frown returned in full, his mien going blank otherwise. He looked away from her. "No, Aerith... you are with me, not Vincent."  
  
Aerith's eyes were wide, horrified. She nodded vehemently at his statement, tears burning behind emerald orbs. "I... I know that. I'm so sorry, Cloud. I didn't..." She chanced a glance at him once, praying silently for a response that wasn't furious, or worse, emotionless. She received the latter. He moved away from her, putting a huge distance between him, and laid his down back down on his pillow. Rolling over, he turned his back to her and refused to speak to her again, opting rather to lie in silence.  
  
Aerith sighed despondently and curled herself back up, her chin tucked in towards her chest. Emerald eyes squeezed shut tightly, as if she could block everything out. It was hard to imagine how she could mess things up so badly on this, just her second day back from oblivion. It was hard to be the optimistic girl she had been once, though she tried valiantly. She tightened her arms around herself and fell uneasily back asleep, nightmares niggling at her mind and making her toss and turn fitfully the entire night.  
  
Cloud grunted a bit before he closed his eyes to try and get back to sleep. It would be hard for him now. He tangled his legs in a blanket, then gave up the effort to cover himself. He was too upset to sleep now. Her simple, brainless utterance of Vincent's name had been like a slap to the face for him. He shifted less fitfully than she did, and eventually found peace in sleep.  
  
Aerith, however, had moved to the foot of the bed to distance herself from Cloud's silently angry form, thanking her stars soundlessly that Vincent hadn't requested his cloak back from her yet. The last thing she wanted to do was disturb Cloud, but she'd just spent two years in a lake and her body temperature still fluctuated abnormally. The cloak proved the only warmth she'd find now. Plus, it gave her a feeble excuse to go see him in the morning. Aerith had resumed her sleep, surprisingly peaceful now for her hardened resolve.  
  
Cloud did not rise with the sun as he had in his AVALANCE days. Aerith, however, did. She uncurled from her tightly wound position, surprisingly nimble for having slept in such a cramped manner. She rose, slipping off the bed and stretching herself out. Sighing softly, Aerith moved silently to the head of the bed and leaned over, brushing her lips softly against Cloud's forehead. She was sorry for what she'd done to him. She had never had any intention to do so; all she'd sought was peace and comfort and Vincent had been the first to offer even a ghost of either. She swept silently out of his room then, padding quietly down the adjacent stairs.  
  
Cloud awoke a few moments after her kiss, sitting up slowly and looking around suspiciously a few times. Yawning, he stretched magnificently and shook his head to clear his thoughts before he began to scratch the back of it. "Hm... was it all a dream?"  
  
Aerith stood just outside the Seventh Heaven, torn between going back and begging Cloud's forgiveness, and going to see Vincent. Idly, she fingered the edge of his cape, staring blankly at the sun-washed ground, light glinting off glossy chestnut locks with the angle of her head. She finally turned to glance back up at the bar, a soft smile lighting her features, her eyes sad. "Goodbye, Cloud." Turning around, she abruptly began to run for the mansion, Vincent's cape and her hair flying out behind her slender form as her pace never abated, even as she descended the spiral staircase hidden in one of the top floor's rooms. Outside Vincent's crypt, she halted suddenly and dropped to her knees, head bowed momentarily in prayer.  
  
Then, rising to her feet with renewed purpose, she slipped silently into the tomb, her expression bleak as she thought on how Vincent forced himself to stay in such a place as this. Padding over to his coffin, she hesitated suddenly, still confused as to how to get his attention. Finally, she made a decision.  
  
Lowering herself to her knees, she knocked decidedly on the lid of his coffin.  
  
---  
  
A/N: FIN! I figured it should be kind of long since I poofled on you guys... hope you liked it. Reviews? Maybe? I'd really appreciate it! Chapter 7 up soon with luck! 


	7. frustration

Today's my birthday!  
  
However, I've decided to give you all a present and update again with another new chapter!  
  
I still can't apologize enough for my amazing disappearing act... n.n;; Hope I'm forgiven, and I hope you're all still with me!  
  
Eri, thanks for the review! My first in forever... =) Your support is amazingly appreciated.

_Frustration  
_  
---  
  
Aerith winced at the loud echoes reverberating through the crypt at her knock. To try and dull the echoing noise, she spoke quietly in the meantime. "Vincent, please wake up and open this. I need to speak to you."  
  
Scarlet eyes popped open in the dark and Vincent considered the inside of the lid of his coffin, staring blankly at it before he slowly sat up, opening the coffin as he moved. "How may I help you... Miss Gainsborough?" Crimson eyes regarded her coldly, indifferently.  
  
Aerith glared at him for a long moment before tilting her chin up imperiously, her outraged tone a mask over her continually bleeding hurt. "Don't give me that, Mr. _Valentine_, I am not the one who should be regarding the other warily." Without warning, Aerith leaned forward and embraced him firmly, hanging onto him for all she was worth.  
  
Vincent regarded her with real surprise, staring blankly down at a head of loose curls. He had no idea what she was up to. "What are you doing, Aerith?"  
  
Aerith sighed. She was optimistic above all, and assumed he'd understand eventually. For now, she raised her head to glare at him before returning to her odd, unexpected embrace. "What does it look like, Vincent?"  
  
He tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling before briefly closing crimson eyes. "It looks to me like you're holding a demon."  
  
"You don't look close enough. It was always a shortfall of yours, but that is all right." Aerith sighed, suddenly becoming aware of how cold the stone floor was to her knees, how the edge of Vincent's coffin bit into her midsection. Simultaneously, she realized it didn't matter to her. Physical pain was nothing to what she'd go through if she didn't finish this with Vincent now. "If you call yourself devil, then I call myself broken spirit, for I do not know what I am anymore."  
  
"Do you know what Hojo did to me? He _made_ me a demon, Aerith. He made me what I am, and despite all that, I still failed... her..." Vincent lowered his eyes, staring at steel-tipped boots. He refused to look up at her. "Aerith, you have always been an angel. No fragmented spirit... just purely and truly an angel, one designed to save this wretched planet."  
  
Aerith outstretched one hand, two fingers lightly taking his chin in hand and forcing him to meet her fierce gaze. One auburn brow rose in an indignant crescent above fair-glowing emerald eyes. "There is no angel in me to match the demon in you, Vincent, and that does not bother me one whit. You call yourself a demon, and I've seen what you can become. _So what_?"  
  
Crimson eyes lit slightly, almost hopefully, but it was such a fleeting emotion that Aerith knew she must have imagined it. He sighed and, in the end, only turned his head and looked away. "Cloud loves you, Aerith. He wanted you back, but he felt it would be impossible, that there was no way to get you back. I didn't go to the lake to prove him wrong or to make you love me. I went to the lake so I could see your eyes alive again."  
  
Aerith smiled crookedly, lowering her arm and wringing her hands together anxiously. She knew, deep within herself, what it must have cost Vincent to say something like that. It was no wonder he couldn't look at her. She lowered jade eyes, watching her fingers twist together before she compulsively pulled them away, repeating the process agitatedly. She spoke softly, as if she didn't wish to disturb his pain. "And so they are, Vincent... but you must understand that Cloud cannot love me wholly. He gave a part of his heart to Tifa long ago, and I couldn't ask either of them to make a sacrifice for me. It would be easier for them to think that I am still dead."  
  
Vincent shook his head stubbornly. "Aerith, you do yourself a discredit. You lit up everyone's lives two years ago, _including_ Tifa's. Cloud wasn't just furious when you died, he was depressed. I know he must have suffered from nightmares of the same type as I, for he was restless and sleep- deprived for the rest of the journey, and after he had defeated Sephiroth." A sigh escaped past his lips before he finished, "He may have given part of his heart away, but it doesn't mean he can't love you."  
  
Aerith dropped her hands away and shook her head emphatically, emerald eyes alight with unspilled tears. "I cannot ask him to make a decision that would potentially hurt Tifa, even if she would feign happiness for he and I." She straightened slightly to meet Vincent's gaze squarely. "I don't want to have to ask if he _can_ love me."  
  
"He can, and does." A slight, misplaced smile struggled to Vincent's features. He looked as if he hadn't smiled in years... and in truth, he probably hadn't. Vermilion eyes betrayed him, however, searching hers deeply to seek the truth behind what she was telling him. In a moment of inspiration, he lightly rested his claw hand atop of hers, to see if she would recoil, if she would betray herself. "I want to see you happy, Aerith."  
  
Aerith gazed stubbornly back, unmoving. She was unfazed by the metallic cold of his claw on her arm, purpose tensing every line of her slender frame. In fact, had he given her his real hand, she would have seized hold of it. "You wouldn't be happy if I went back to be with Cloud. Cloud wouldn't be happy if he had to leave Tifa. Tifa would try to hide it, but she wouldn't be happy without him."  
  
"My happiness is of no consequence, Aerith. A man plagued by sin cannot be happy, even in sleep. Cloud will be happy. Tifa..." Vincent blinked, looking down at the floor. "She is strong she will pull through it."  
  
They were at an impasse. Aerith found herself faced with the most frustrating wall imaginable, so she simply tilted her chin up, gazing at Vincent with a mixture of childish stubbornness and daring. "You cannot make me go back if it is my desire to not hurt Tifa."  
  
"I'm sorry, Aerith. I don't deserve to be in your company, and you don't deserve to be stuck with me. I know Cloud is worthy of you, despite all his shortcomings." He gave her another slight smile, and again Aerith wondered at the toll this conversation was having on him. "I know you love him."  
  
"I've been _dead_ for two years!" Aerith scowled faintly, a new expression to her lovely features. She crossed her arms in a manner bespeaking absolute defiance, emerald hues sparkling with defiance. "_None_ of you know anything."  
  
Vincent simply shrugged. "Fair enough." He lay back down in his coffin, turning his body away from her. "Good night, Aerith."  
  
She glared at him for a long moment as if she could burn a hole into his stubborn head just by looking. Finally she rose out of her crouch and slowly left the little hidden room, a pervading sense of sorrow wrapping around her. Steady, even strides carried her swiftly out of the manse. Rather than return to the bar, however, she settled on the stoop outside the Mansion, waiting to watch the sun peak, her bent knees held tightly.  
  
Deep in the bowels of the building, Vincent sighed. He did not want to argue with her at all anymore. Once he was sure she'd left, the lid of his coffin rose unsteadily into the air and landed with a slam snugly onto the coffin. Vincent, alone now, went back to sleep.  
  
Aerith wound alabaster arms around drawn-up legs, perching her chin on her knees. Emerald eyes fixed on a distant spot on the horizon as the weak light strengthened, growing almost intolerably sunny. She understood that Vincent hurt but she couldn't fathom why he seemed to think that made it reasonable for him to put others in pain. All she wished to do was help him quiet his demons. She sighed and lowered her head to her knees, miserable. And so she remained in that spot, watching the same area on the horizon, unmoving until the sun was fixed directly overhead.  
  
Cloud found her there.  
  
He'd gone for a walk, exhausted with listening to Tifa berate him for letting Aerith leave so soon and so unexpectedly. He'd hesitated in deciding where to go before strolling to the ShinRa mansion. He didn't think she'd be outside but there she was... Mako blue eyes dimmed with the sun's light, still glowing intensely as he looked down upon her. "Aerith..."  
  
Aerith started suddenly, surprised out of her reverie. She looked about wildly, swiveling to look over her shoulder at the mansion. Sighing at its unresponsiveness, she turned back around slowly and lifted one hand, shading her eyes to look up at him. "Hey, Cloud. I'm... I'm sorry I left. I had to."  
  
Cloud paused and looked at her for a long moment before smiling slightly. He wasn't going to be angry. He wasn't going to be cold. In fact, he wasn't even going to mention the prior night's events. He would be calm and collected... he hoped. "Were you up all night, Aerith?" His head tilted to the side slightly, questioningly, before he reached out for her hand.  
  
Aerith shrugged and unfurled from her tightly wound position, stretching out her hand to take his. She borrowed his strength to pull herself to her feet. "Most of it, and now, most of the day." She smiled almost wryly, raising her free hand to rake back through loose, disheveled locks.  
  
"Come on..." His hand grasped hers more firmly, tightening. He slowly guided her back to the Seventh Heaven. "You're going to get some rest."  
  
Aerith frowned and dug her heels in to avoid being pulled along. "No, really, Cloud I'm not tired. Hence the reason I haven't slept." She wouldn't mention the dreams. There was no need to.  
  
Cloud froze, feeling her hesitance and resistance. Blue eyes flashed as he turned to her, his body tensing with pent-up anger. "What did he do to you, Aerith? What did that... that fucking _demon_ do!"  
  
Her slight wince immediately conformed into a frown. She shook her head emphatically, relaxing her hold on his hand lest he storm off into the mansion and _really_ drag her along. "Vincent didn't _do_ anything, so hold your temper. Vincent would _never_ do anything." Aerith raised frustrated eyes to meet his, defiant once more. Her next comment was intended to sting. "And if it wasn't for that _demon_, I wouldn't be here listening to you swear about him, would I?"  
  
Cloud literally growled lightly as he let her go. Brushing past her, he stormed into the ShinRa mansion, taking the stairs at a run. He was bordering on furious as he sought the hidden passage behind the bookcase.  
  
Aerith, meanwhile, came chasing after him, emerald eyes wide, auburn tresses fanning out like a banner behind her as she ran to catch him up, nearly colliding when she found him. Reaching out, she caught his arm with both hands, pulling him back. She pleaded with him, "Cloud, stop this! What reason have you to be so angry with Vincent?"  
  
"He's trying to take you away from me, Aerith!" Cloud burst out abruptly, turning to her. Impulsively, he leaned in and gave her a quick, albeit passionate kiss. "I know he is! I love you! Now, let me do this!"  
  
Aerith found herself repeating herself. "None of you know _anything_!" She stared back at him, frustration silently worded eloquently into her features, one hand raised to impatiently brush stubborn locks out of her eyes. "Vincent is _not_ trying to take me away from you were I even yours to claim in the first place! _He_ has been trying to convince me that I belong with _you_, Tifa's broken heart aside."  
  
Cloud scowled and pulled his arm free of her hold. "Now _why_ don't I believe you, Aerith?" He turned away from her and bolted inside as the spiral staircase was revealed, taking the steps two at a time. He all but ran down the dimly lit corridor, heading for the crypt.  
  
Aerith called down to him, "Bit of a spiky-headed idiot, then, aren't you?" She was tired of arguing with them, finding it heartbreaking that everyone had drifted so far apart since her death and Sephiroth's defeat. She sat at the top of the stairs, exhausted, though not to the point that she added, "He'll tell you the same, Cloud! That he's been arguing for you."  
  
Cloud ignored her. He wasn't there to talk with Vincent. He was tired of speech, in fact. He continued into the crypt, approaching Vincent's coffin quietly. He was brash and not into little niceties and formalities. Cloud slowly bent and slid a wicked blade from his boot. With one strong movement, he kicked the lid of the coffin off. "You gods' damned _bastard_."  
  
Moving lithely, Cloud slammed the blade home... straight through Vincent.  
  
---  
  
Whoa, cliffhanger, maybe?! :D  
  
I thought I'd write something entertaining and possibly suspenseful for today... also to attract attention... I hope it was at least a little surprising xD  
  
Please review! All my love... =)


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